


beautiful

by xogray



Series: percabeth oneshots [27]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, I did my best, Mutual Pining, Pining, deaf percy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xogray/pseuds/xogray
Summary: her breath nearly caught in her throat when she locked eyes with the most attractive man she’s ever seen. annabeth gave him a smile that (for the first time today) didn’t feel forced.“hi! what can i get you?” she asked. he gave her a small smile and handed her a post-it note.i’m deaf and this always seems easier than trying to play charades. can i get a medium vanilla latte? :)- or the one in which annabeth learns sign language just to talk to the cute customer at her cafe
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: percabeth oneshots [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839274
Comments: 9
Kudos: 249





	beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> hi! quick psa: i'm not deaf, nor do i know asl. i did my best and if there are any hearing impaired people or people who know asl reading, pls lmk if i did something wrong! love u enjoy

annabeth just wanted to go home. her feet hurt, she had a mountain of assignments to do, she hadn’t eaten in five hours, and she was only running on four hours of sleep. if she didn’t need the money, she’d feign sick to get out of the last hour of her shift. instead, she put a fake smile on her face as another customer stepped up to the register to order an overpriced coffee.

she took the girl’s order, swiped her card, and went about making the drink. at least it wasn’t busy. if it had been, she might not have been able to survive that. she made the drink quickly and handed it off to the girl before leaning on the counter and taking a deep breath. annabeth held in a groan when she heard the familiar bell that signaled when the door opened. she grudgingly turned and sauntered over to the register. 

her breath nearly caught in her throat when she locked eyes with the most attractive man she’s ever seen. annabeth gave him a smile that (for the first time today) didn’t feel forced.

“hi! what can i get you?” she asked. he gave her a bashful smile and handed her a post-it note. annabeth’s eyebrows furrowed as she took it, clearly caught off guard. she looked down at the paper.

_i’m deaf and this always seems easier than trying to play charades. can i get a medium vanilla latte? :)_

annabeth looked back up at him with a small smile and nodded. she pulled out a pen and wrote the total on the note, with a little smiley face next to it, and handed it back to him. the man gave her a bright smile, which made his insanely green eyes sparkle, and handed annabeth a five dollar bill. she gave him his change and began to make his drink. 

when annabeth handed him the cup, he gave her a grateful smile and sat down at one of the tables in the cafe, setting up a laptop he was carrying. she had to try very hard not to continuously look over at him. his dark hair fell in waves over his forehead and multiple times, annabeth saw him push it back out of his eyes. 

at one point, he looked over and made eye contact with her and annabeth quickly looked away. she felt her cheeks heat up as she busied herself with cleaning the counter. after a moment, she glanced back over at him and saw him looking at his laptop with a small smile on his face. annabeth wondered if the smile was related to him catching her staring.

eventually, the hour ended and annabeth was free to leave. she stretched her arms up for a moment before taking her apron off and hanging it up in the back room. she grabbed her silver water bottle and her bag and stepped out from behind the counter.

“hey, do you work tomorrow?” her coworker asked. annabeth noticed the look on his face and instantly deflated.

“no, why?” she replied hesitantly.

“do you think you would be able to cover my shift? it’s from two to eight.”

annabeth sighed quietly but nodded. “yeah, i think i can do that.”

his face lit up. “you’re an angel! thank you!” he exclaimed. annabeth gave him a weak smile and a nod before turning. as she began to leave, she made eye contact with the attractive customer from earlier. she felt her cheeks heat up again but she gave him a soft smile that he returned. before she could blush more, she quickly pushed through the door and made her way to her car. once she was home, she barely finished editing her english paper before promptly passing out.

-

she’d be lying if she said the stranger with intoxicatingly green eyes didn’t pass through her mind at least a few times. three days after she first saw him, he returned to the cafe. annabeth wasn’t at the register, instead assigned to just making drinks while a coworker was taking orders, seeing as they were busier now. she noticed the slight pink in his cheeks as he handed a note to the girl taking his order. she also noticed his cheeks got even pinker when he locked eyes with annabeth. she gave him a soft smile before turning her attention back to the drink in front of her.

a moment later, her coworker handed her a cup with the guy’s order. she quickly made the vanilla latte. when she handed it to him, he gave her a dazzling smile that made annabeth’s heart jump. she gave him a small grin which he returned and nodded gratefully. 

to her dismay, annabeth was too busy to be able to steal constant glances at him after he sat down at a table with his laptop. once though, she managed to look over for a moment and by chance, they locked eyes. instead of turning away instantly, annabeth tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at him. his cheeks flushed beautifully and he smiled back before turning away. 

after a while of making countless drinks, she glanced over in his direction but frowned when she realized he was gone. it had been about an hour since she looked over at him last and she figured he must’ve gone home. annabeth was a little sad she hadn’t been able to see his smile once more before he left. 

annabeth finished the last two hours of her shift and her mind drifted to a pair of green eyes and messy black hair more times than she’d like to admit. she wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but something about him was so inviting and appealing, it made her think about him despite him being a complete stranger. she didn’t even know his name. annabeth sighed and cleaned up before leaving and heading home. 

while working on her assignments, she occasionally found herself smiling stupidly at the way the boy with sparkly ocean green eyes had blushed any time he made eye contact with her. annabeth wondered if she was crazy for thinking about a complete stranger. maybe he wasn’t thinking about her at all. that was very plausible, they knew nothing about each other. that, however, didn’t stop her from thinking about him.

-

the next day, it was a slow day and annabeth was bored. there were three hours left in her shift and she almost wished it was busy so it didn’t feel like time was crawling by. she heard the familiar bell of the door opening and looked up to see the messy head of black hair she was secretly hoping to see again. she smiled brightly as he stepped up to the counter and handed her a post-it note with the same words on it from the first time he had been here. annabeth swiped his card when he handed it to her. before she began to make his drink, she pulled out a pen and wrote on the note.

_should we consider this your usual?_

he chuckled when he read it and annabeth wanted to replay the small sound over and over again. his voice sounded deep and she wanted more. she wanted to know what a real laugh sounded like. the guy nodded with a bright smile and annabeth tapped her temple twice as if to say “i’ll remember that.”

she began to make his drink and he leaned his forearms against the counter while he waited. annabeth truly hadn’t meant to check out his biceps but when she realized she was doing exactly that, she quickly averted her eyes. she was sure her cheeks were pink. he gave her a small smirk when she handed him his drink and her cheeks flushed a deeper red because she was positive he had been completely aware of her eyeing his muscles. she bit her lip and smiled shyly. his eyes glanced at the movement and he instantly blushed, taking his drink with a small smile and going to sit down. annabeth felt a little comfort knowing he was just as flustered as she was. 

she went back to doing nothing, serving only one other customer who came in within the next hour. it took a lot of effort to not look over at the beautiful stranger. a tiny part of her wanted to get to know him but the more she thought about it, the more timid she was. she felt like she might make a fool out of herself if her only means of communication with him was passing notes. the fact that he was deaf didn’t bother her, obviously, but it did make her hesitant considering she didn’t know the best way to talk to him.

she had thirty minutes left in her shift when he got up to throw his empty cup away. as he closed his laptop, he looked up at her and annabeth realized she had been staring. he gave her a small wave and a bright smile that made annabeth’s cheeks flush. she returned the wave with a much softer, somewhat embarrassed smile. he left the cafe and annabeth felt like burying her face in her hands and hiding. of course she would embarrass herself in front of the most attractive man she’s ever seen.

the rest of her shift was uneventful, unless you consider handing a customer two packets of sugar exciting. annabeth didn’t. the only thing she currently found exciting was the fact that she was leaving now. once she entered her tiny apartment, she flopped onto her couch. her mind drifted to the stranger. with the amount of time he’s spent in her head recently, annabeth decided she needed to get to know him. or at least learn his name.

she sat up suddenly, struck with an idea. an idea she felt stupid for not having sooner. she located her laptop and searched up american sign language. annabeth ended up staying up way too late for someone who had a class at 10 am the next morning. by the time she was too tired to continue, she had committed the entire alphabet and several phrases to memory. for now, she figured she should focus on learning words and phrases that will actually help her talk to the stranger. she also made sure she knew how to sign _‘i only know a little bit’_ so when he responded with something she didn’t recognize, she could easily pull out that phrase. 

annabeth fell asleep with her laptop open and when she woke up, she only had ten minutes to get out the door. but if she could start to learn more about the boy frequenting her thoughts, she figured it would be worth it. 

-

two days later, she saw him again and she almost wished she hadn’t. it was so busy. annabeth had spent all her free time learning sign language but when she saw him enter the cafe, she felt a bubble of anxiety form in her stomach. what if she had been stupid for trying? what if he didn’t want to get to know her? what if she messed up and made even more of a fool of herself than she normally did? all these questions raced through her mind as he got in line.

when he eventually stepped up to register with a soft grin and sparkling eyes, annabeth made the executive decision to wait on using any sign language. besides, it was so busy now, she would barely have the time to actually speak to him. annabeth smiled as he handed her a note.

_my usual please:)_

annabeth gave him a bright smile and swiped his card. she so desperately wished she could talk to him and learn everything about him but there were three people in line behind him. she looked at her coworker who would make the drink.

“hey, um,” she said quietly. “he’s deaf so make sure he gets his drink. he won’t be able to hear anyone call out the order.”

her coworker nodded and got to working on the drink. annabeth wanted to watch to make sure he got it but she still had customers. a moment later though, she briefly caught the sight of him sitting down at a table with his cup.

annabeth rushed around for another 45 minutes taking orders, making drinks, and cleaning up. after that, it started to slow down. at one point, annabeth leaned against the counter and her head fell back as she closed her eyes. she allowed herself a few seconds of breathing to relax. she hated busy days, they stressed her out. once her few seconds were up, she opened her eyes and looked around. coincidentally, she locked eyes with a pair of green ones she was beginning to become familiar with. 

he gave her an amused grin and she forced herself to hold his gaze for a second despite the blush she felt dusting her cheeks. annabeth smiled at him before turning away to take another customer's order. the image of his grin and his glittering green eyes stayed in the back of her mind and it made the corners of her lips stay curved upwards. 

the next time she glanced over in his direction, he was concentrating intensely at something on his laptop. annabeth noticed the way his eyebrows furrowed together and she found it cute. she wondered if he was in college like her. if he was, what was he studying? what year was he in? was he a junior, like her? he looked to be about the same age as annabeth so she figured it was plausible they were in the same year, if he was in school.

twenty minutes later, her shift was over. annabeth hung her apron up and made her way to the door. she wasn’t sure if he had planned it or if it was completely incidental but she reached the door at the same time the attractive stranger did. judging by the look on his face, which went from shocked to pleased, she assumed it was accidental. he smiled shyly and opened the door, holding it for annabeth.

“thank you,” she said quietly. as soon as she said it, she remembered he couldn’t hear her and she wanted to kick herself. but he must’ve been able to read her lips, or maybe he just assumed she said thank you considering most people would, because he gave her a wide smile and a shy nod. annabeth bit her lip and waved at him before turning and making her way to her car. at this point, her cheeks were constantly pink around him. 

once she was home, she sped through her homework so that she could continue learning sign language. she hoped with everything in her that he would show up on a slow day next time. 

-

the gods, any who might’ve existed, answered her prayers. the next time the man came in, it was painfully slow. seeing the head of messy black hair made annabeth feel stupidly happy. he walked up to the register with a note in hand but before he could give it to her, annabeth signed, _your usual?_

he blinked at her. annabeth smiled softly and felt her cheeks heat up as he tried to process what just happened. slowly, he put the note in his pocket and raised his hands to reply.

 _you know sign language?_ he asked slowly. 

_i know a little. i just began learning,_ she told him. he looked at her with an expression she couldn’t read and annabeth just hoped she was signing everything correctly. so far, all of her responses had been drilled into her brain because she half expected this part of the conversation.

 _for me?_ he signed hesitantly. he looked a little embarrassed asking, likely because he didn’t want to assume wrong. 

instead of signing back, annabeth just nodded and gave him a small smile. she absentmindedly twisted her fingers together. this was the moment she had been dreading. there was a chance he wasn’t interested in her at all and he might’ve thought it was stupid or weird for her to learn sign language to talk to a total stranger. he blinked a few times before smiling widely.

 _wow,_ he signed. _you didn’t have to do that._

annabeth smiled. _i wanted to._

there was a small pause that should’ve been awkward but it was oddly comfortable. after a moment, the man signed, _can i get my usual please?_

annabeth nodded and swiped his card, handing it back with a smile. she began to make his drink and handed it to him when she finished. he gave her a smile that made her dizzy. as he began to turn away but she caught his wrist. his eyes widened and he looked at her quizzically but with a small smile.

 _sorry,_ she signed with a shy smile. _can i ask what your name is?_

he chuckled and set his drink down. _percy,_ he signed. annabeth nodded and she had to bite back a wide smile. percy. she liked it. 

_i’m annabeth,_ she replied and he laughed. annabeth’s heart did a flip at the sound.

_i know. you have a name tag._

without thinking, annabeth’s fingers came up to touch the name tag on her apron and she blushed. she had completely forgotten. pursing her lips, she nodded slowly as if to say “oh right. i’m an idiot.” percy laughed again and picked up his drink, turning away to go sit at a table. 

annabeth found herself pacing around, occasionally cleaning to keep herself busy. over the next hour, she served two people. percy stayed sitting at a table, working on his laptop. a few minutes later, her shift ended and she hung her apron up. she made her way to the door but percy caught her wrist at the last minute. she smiled at him and he hesitated before shyly nodding towards the door. annabeth’s face scrunched up in confusion as he opened the door for her. had he stopped her just to open it for her?

she got an answer when he set his laptop on one of the metal tables outside of the cafe. he looked at her modestly and signed, _do you wanna sit with me and talk?_

the nervous look on his face made annabeth’s heart nearly jump out of her chest. she knew she had a mountain of homework and a few chores and errands to do but regardless, she nodded quickly and smiled widely when he looked relieved. they sat down across from each other and percy tilted his head a little, which made annabeth’s heart melt.

 _why did you learn how to sign for me?_ he asked with a small smile. each time he signed, it took annabeth a few seconds to piece the sentence together. 

her cheeks flushed. _i want to get to know you. if that’s okay._ she wondered if her cheeks were as pink as percy’s had just turned. annabeth hadn’t felt this flustered around a boy since highschool. annabeth continued signing, pulling out one of the phrases she had memorized for this reason specifically. _i figured learning sign language would be the easiest way to do that._

percy signed something that annabeth didn’t understand and she blinked a few times. 

_okay i only know a little bit,_ she signed which made percy laugh. annabeth wanted to get used to that sound.

percy pulled out the sticky note from earlier and wrote on the other side before sliding it over to annabeth. she took it and she bit back a smile as she read the words.

 _maybe we could text too?_ was written along with his number. annabeth nodded and took her phone quickly, adding in his number. 

she sent him a text that said, _so you have my number too:)_ and slipped her phone back in her pocket. percy smiled at her and twisted his fingers together absentmindedly for a second.

 _can i ask why you want to get to know me?_ he signed. annabeth bit her lip. she had expected him to ask something like this at some point. 

slowly, annabeth signed the response she had memorized for this question. _i’m not sure, exactly. you just seem really sweet._ she paused before adding, _and i won’t lie, you’re very attractive._

percy laughed but annabeth didn’t miss the way his cheeks flushed a deeper pink. she assumed hers were the same color, if not brighter. 

percy signed back, _you are too._ now annabeth was positive her cheeks were brighter but she couldn’t find it in her to care. they spent about thirty minutes going back and forth asking and answering questions. whatever annabeth couldn’t understand, which was a lot, was texted to her. she would do her best to respond but half the time, she was texting her answers too. percy didn’t seem to mind though, which was nice. annabeth hadn’t expected to have such a long conversation with him so she felt like her signing skills were a bit inadequate.

 _i should go,_ she signed after a while, disappointment clear on her face. _i have a lot of,_ she paused for a second, trying to remember how to sign the word _homework._ after a moment, she ended up spelling the word out which made percy chuckle.

 _okay,_ he replied. then he signed something else and annabeth only understood _will you ___ me?_ annabeth blinked a few times and percy laughed softly. he signed it again, this time spelling out the word _text_ in place of the word she hadn’t understood.

“oh,” she said quietly, laughing. she nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically, but it was worth it when his face lit up.

 _okay, good,_ he said. _bye annabeth._

 _bye percy,_ she replied, grabbing her bag and standing. with a final small wave, she turned and walked to her car. the smile never left her face.

-

annabeth was sick. not super sick, but sick enough to have to call out of work. and for once in her life, she was upset about that. her and percy had been texting almost nonstop since they had exchanged numbers. the day after that, annabeth didn’t have work. and then the day after that, which was yesterday, she woke up sick.

**to: percy**

_i still feel disgusting_

**from :percy**

_poor baby. i offered to come take care of you_

**to: percy**

_i’d get you sick dummy_

**from :percy**

_worth it to see you_

annabeth was happy he couldn’t see her when she smiled stupidly at the message, blushing. percy, she had discovered, could be very flirty when he wanted to be. and annabeth loved every minute of it, if she was being honest.

**to: percy**

_poor baby. im sure you’ll see me when i come back to work_

**from: percy**

_boo. i miss you now_

annabeth’s heart jumped. in the last two days, percy had made it very clear he liked annabeth and at this point, she was wondering if (and hoping) he’d ask her out next time they saw each other. which only made her want to go back to work more. in response to his text, annabeth sent a selfie that only showed her face from her nose up, along with a peace sign above her head.

**to: percy**

_there. now you can see me_

**from: percy**

_how are you cute while ur sick_

**from: percy**

_that’s not fair_

**to: percy**

_oh shut up_

annabeth continued texting him for a while as she began to get tired, despite it only being 2 pm. each time he made some remotely flirty comment, she would blush profusely and smile like a complete idiot. she wondered if she had this effect on him at all or if it was just her who was acting like a fourteen year old talking to her crush. she tried hard not to, but in the end, she fell asleep with no warning, leaving one of his texts unanswered for the next several hours.

-

two days went by before annabeth returned to work. predictably, percy walked in 45 minutes before her shift ended. he gave her a bright smile that made her feel dizzy. 

_finally,_ he signed. _i missed you._

annabeth bit her lip in an attempt to hold back a smile. she raised her hands to slowly sign back the reply she had practiced for when she saw him again.

 _we’ve been talking all day for the past few days. and thanks to you, i’ve hardly been able to learn more sign language._ percy laughed quietly and then paused in thought. annabeth could sense his hesitation. _what?_ she asked, tilting her head to the side.

his expression was incredibly shy when he signed, _i could teach you more sometime. maybe while we get dinner?_

annabeth didn’t even mind how red her cheeks must’ve gotten because her heart nearly beat right out of her chest. she gave him a wide smile and nodded quickly, which resulted in his face lighting up in a way annabeth had begun to love. 

_i would love that,_ she replied. percy bit his lip and nodded softly. annabeth took in his shy, happy expression, committing it to memory. she laughed quietly. _do you want your usual?_

he blinked, like he had completely forgotten he was at the cafe. then he smiled again and nodded, handing her his card. she swiped it and handed it back to him, turning away to go make his drink. he couldn’t really see her face anymore but the smile never left her face.

a moment later, she handed him his drink. she hesitated before signing, _i get off in 30 minutes. will you still be here?_

_for you, of course._

annabeth rolled her eyes but she was still smiling. her attention drifted to the door as it opened and another customer walked in. percy’s gaze followed hers and he gave her a small wave as he went to go sit down. annabeth served the next customer, along with one other that walked in a minute later. as she was cleaning off the counter, she realized she was smiling and she briefly wondered how long she had been doing that. she looked up at the clock to see she had fifteen minutes left. she glanced over in percy’s direction to find his ocean green eyes already looking at her. 

_you’re so pretty,_ he signed and annabeth rolled her eyes, blushing a little. her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to formulate a response. in the end, she ended up spelling out the word _hush_ which made percy laugh loudly.

“annabeth,” she heard from behind her. she whipped around to find her coworker whose shift was after hers giving her an amused stare. “you can leave a little early, if you want. i’ll cover your last ten minutes.”

annabeth bit back a smile. “you sure?” she asked and her coworker laughed.

“yeah. you seem pretty eager to hang out with your boyfriend.”

annabeth turned beet red and pushed her coworker’s shoulder. she glanced at percy who smiled and averted his eyes. “he’s not my boyfriend,” she muttered, before softly adding, “yet.” she slipped off her apron and went to hang it up and grab her bag. when she came back out from the work room, she slid into the seat across from percy. he glanced at the clock before looking at her with a confused expression that she found adorable. 

_im off early,_ she explained and his eyes lit up. 

_why?_ he signed. annabeth hesitated, trying to figure out how to reply to that.

 _i seemed eager to hang out with you,_ she pieced together. she had to spell out the words _eager_ and _hang out_ which made percy chuckle softly. annabeth didn’t miss the way his cheeks turned pink though. she really liked when she had that effect on him.

 _is that why i saw her say-_ he signed and annabeth didn’t recognize the last motion. she tilted her head.

 _what was the last part?_ she asked and he smiled softly.

 _is that why i saw her say boyfriend?_ he signed again, this time spelling out the last word. annabeth blinked a few times and placed her head in her hands, making him laugh. of course. of all the words he could’ve caught, it was that one. she dragged her hands down, dropping them on the table. she bit her lip and nodded slowly. annabeth could see him bite back a wide smile. even without his voice, she could tell he was teasing her when he signed, _oh, is that what i am?_

annabeth rolled her eyes, smiling. _i told her you weren’t yet,_ she signed. percy raised his eyebrows, maybe surprised at her response. he smiled at her, somewhat shyly and annabeth could’ve kissed him. _are you busy_ (she had to spell that word out) _tonight?_ she asked.

percy shook his head quickly. annabeth smiled softly and absentmindedly took her hair out of it’s ponytail, shaking her curls out with her fingers. before annabeth could sign anything, percy beat her to it. _you’re beautiful._

shaking her head softly, annabeth spelled out the word _hush_ again, making percy laugh. then, she signed _do you maybe want to get dinner tonight?_

 _actually,_ percy signed, _i was going to invite you over for dinner._ percy had spelled out the word _invite_ and she wasn’t sure how he guessed she wouldn’t know it, but annabeth was grateful because she wouldn’t have understood if he hadn’t. 

“oh,” she said quietly. her heart jumped and she smiled widely. _okay,_ she replied, laughing when percy looked visibly relieved. _is 6 pm okay?_

percy nodded. instead of saying anything else, he took his phone out and began typing. a few seconds later, annabeth felt hers buzz and she checked it. he sent her his address. she smiled at him. it was nearing 4:30 now so annabeth figured she should go now so she had time to put herself together.

 _i’ll see you then,_ she said. he smiled and nodded as they both stood. they walked towards the door and as usual, percy held the door open for her. and stupidly, it made annabeth blush. she gave him a small wave before turning and getting in her car.

once she was home, annabeth felt a small amount of panic set in. she can’t remember the last time she’s been on date. she can’t even remember the last time she’s liked someone like this. annabeth forgoes a shower since she took one last night. instead, she combed out her curls gently, doing her best to keep them from getting frizzy.

she wasn’t really a makeup person, but she added a little mascara on to her already dark lashes. she realized it makes her gray eyes stand out a bit more and makes a mental note to wear it more often. then she pulled open her closet doors and stopped short. she was currently in black jeans and a long sleeve black shirt- her work attire. 

in the end, annabeth went with dark wash ripped skinny jeans (which, in her opinion, makes her ass look great) and a tight, light gray shirt that she tucked in. she liked how the neckline of the shirt showed off her collarbones and chest.

as she was getting ready, she had a thought. quickly, using her laptop, she looked up a few more phrases in sign language she figured she’d need for tonight. she spent ten minutes committing them to memory. she had to trust that she wouldn’t forget them in the moment.

annabeth put percy’s address into her maps on her phone to determine how far away his apartment was. it was about 5:35 now and it would take twelve minutes to get there. annabeth looked at herself in the mirror briefly once more before deciding it was fine. she made her way to her car and used her gps to get to percy’s apartment complex. once she arrived, she sat in her car for a moment and realized just how anxious she was. she also realized just how much she wanted this all to go well. annabeth tried and failed to shake off her nerves and got out of the car.

a moment later, she was stepping out of the elevator and on to his floor. percy’s apartment was a few doors down on the left side. annabeth bit her lip between her teeth for a moment before she lifted her hand up to knock. just before her knuckles hit the door, her hand shot back as she realized he wouldn’t be able to hear it. she took a small step back and realized there was a small sign next to the door she had completely missed before.

hearing impaired person - please ring doorbell, do not knock

annabeth nodded to herself and pressed the small doorbell button under the sign. she waited a few seconds before the door swung open and she was greeted with a pair of green eyes and a bright smile. she returned the grin and he stepped out of the way to let her in. 

_i missed you,_ he signed and she laughed.

 _it’s been two hours,_ she replied, spelling out the last word. 

_too long._ he winked at her, making her blush and avert her eyes. her gaze drifted around his apartment and she smiled at it. it gave off a beachy vibe, but not in a suburban-white-mom way. it was more the blue and tan color scheme that radiated a laid back energy. it suited percy. 

annabeth looked at him. _i like it,_ she signed before gesturing to her surroundings. _the colors are pretty._ annabeth wished she could say a little more but this was the most basic compliment she could piece together. she hoped it would come off right and judging by his grin, she understood what she meant.

 _you’re pretty,_ he replied. annabeth rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder lightly, smiling. he caught her hand, making her smile more, and led her into his kitchen. he nodded towards the small circular dining table and annabeth dropped his hand to sit down. percy trailed over to the fridge and looked at her. _something to drink?_

annabeth bit her lip and shook her head softly. percy smiled and opened it, getting a water bottle for himself. he leaned against the counter and annabeth recognized the shy look on his face.

 _i’m going to be honest,_ he signed. he spelled the word _honest_ since it wasn’t a common word and it made annabeth smile. _i’m a bad cook and i was thinking we should order pizza._ (he spelled the word _order_ too and annabeth was grateful.)

annabeth laughed before signing, _i’m okay with that._ he laughed quietly and sat next to her, pulling his laptop on the table towards them. he searched a local pizza place that delivered and added a regular cheese pizza to the order. he turned the laptop towards annabeth as if to say “is that okay?” and she nodded. they were close enough that annabeth could lean over a few inches and be pressed against him. so she did. she wasn’t sure if it made him smile or anything, but she hoped it did.

after the order was placed, annabeth looked at him. their faces were maybe four inches apart at most. she smiled softly. she hadn’t realized until now, but percy had a light dusting of freckles across his nose and annabeth found it adorable. she sat back and signed, _do i get that lesson now?_ she asked. she had learned the word lesson earlier specifically for that.

percy laughed softly. _what do you want to learn?_

annabeth blinked a few times. percy looked like he was about to sign it again, maybe spelling something out this time, but annabeth stopped him. _i didn’t think that far ahead._

in response to her confession, annabeth was gifted with percy’s beautiful laugh. _we could just talk,_ he signed, _and anything you don’t know, i’ll teach you._

annabeth nodded quickly. they went back and forth asking questions and anytime annabeth would spell out a word she didn’t know, percy would show her the sign for it. anytime percy would sign something she didn’t understand, she would have him repeat himself and whichever words she didn’t know, he would show her. each time she copied the gesture he taught her, he would smile brightly at her. and each time he did that, annabeth’s heart skipped a beat.

they were about twenty minutes into their game of questions when the doorbell rang. along with the bell sound, annabeth noticed a light on the wall blink rapidly for a few seconds. she realized that’s how his doorbell system worked. he smiled at her and got up to get the pizza, coming back a moment later and setting it on the table. he grabbed two plates and placed them next to the pizza box before sitting back down next to annabeth. 

eating and using your hands to talk was a lot more difficult than annabeth had expected. there were a lot of pauses that could’ve been awkward but annabeth didn’t find them to be that way. she felt comfortable around percy. more comfortable than she had felt around anyone in a while, aside from her two best friends. they continued talking whenever their hands weren’t occupied. 

_how long did it take you to learn sign language?_ she asked him when he made a comment about how she was a quick learner. 

_about a year and a half,_ he answered. she hadn’t understood the last word so she asked him and he taught her. she found this method of learning to be a lot more enjoyable than online pictures and videos.

_how old were you when you learned?_

percy hesitated before signing, _fifteen._

annabeth blinked. it occurred to her then that she had subconsciously assumed percy was born deaf. she noticed him twisting his fingers together like she did when she was nervous. _when did you lose your hearing?_ she asked slowly. (he quickly taught her the sign for hearing).

percy bit his lip. annabeth wanted to reassure him that he didn’t need to answer if he didn’t want to, but he signed his reply before she could say anything. _i was thirteen._

annabeth frowned. she didn’t wanna push him, but her curiosity got the best of her. _can i ask how? you don’t have to tell me._

he thought for a second before he chuckled. _you might not know most of the words i would say._

annabeth laughed softly. _you could write it. or teach me,_ she suggested. percy smiled at her softly and nodded gently.

he avoided her eyes. _i could say it out-_ he replied and annabeth reluctantly asked him to repeat the ending. _i could say it out loud,_ he repeated, then teaching her the sign for _loud_

annabeth paused. it also occurred to her that since he lost his hearing at 13, he knew how to speak verbally. she smiled softly. _if you’re okay with that,_ she told him. 

percy carefully reached forward and grabbed her hand. he rested it on his knee, palm up, as he played with her fingers absentmindedly. annabeth waited patiently. a few minutes went by before percy took a small breath. he kept his eyes on their hands.

“i got into a car crash. damaged my brain and nervous system. i lost 90% of my hearing,” he said quietly.

annabeth noticed two things: 1) he spoke slowly, like he was trying to pick his words carefully and pronounce them correctly. and 2) she loved the sound of his voice. annabeth smiled softly and laced her fingers with his. he finally looked up at her.

annabeth withdrew her hand reluctantly to sign, _thank you for telling me. i’m sorry._ percy smiled softly and gave her a small shrug. he took their empty plates to the sink and annabeth turned in her chair to watch him. she briefly appreciated his biceps and back muscles. when he turned back around, she smiled at him. _you’re cute,_ she signed.

he grinned. _no, you,_ he replied, making annabeth roll her eyes fondly. percy’s familiar shy expression took over his features. _do you want to watch a movie?_

annabeth broke into a grin and nodded. percy held out his hand and annabeth took it, standing up. he led her into the living room, which was two steps away from the kitchen. percy sat on the couch, pulling annabeth down with him. she wasn’t she if he had intended to, but he pulled her down directly next to him. annabeth took this as a cue to cuddle into his side. he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and when she looked up at him, he had a wide smile.

he used the remote to pull netflix up and then handed her the remote. “you pick,” he told her quietly and annabeth’s heart skipped a beat. 

she set the remote on her lap to timidly sign, _i love your voice._ percy blinked a few times and annabeth thought she might’ve said the wrong thing. she was about to apologize profusely when he leant forward and kissed her temple softly, hugging her closer to his side. he couldn’t see her face anymore but she smiled, trying to keep the memory of his lips on her skin in her mind. she picked up the remote and began to scroll through netflix. her eyes lit up when she found _grease._

she lifted her head to meet percy’s eyes. “please?” she asked, hoping he could read her lips. he gave her a small smile and nodded. annabeth got unreasonably excited and pressed play. she curled into percy’s side. as soon as she did that, she had a brief moment of anxiety that she’d gone too far or was too close to him. but her nerves quickly died out when percy wrapped his arm around her tighter. annabeth smiled to herself.

at some point, annabeth was singing along to a song quietly, swaying her head side to side ever so slightly. she didn’t even realize she was doing it until she caught percy’s eye. he was looking at her with a small, dazed smile. “what?” she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear self consciously. as soon as she said it, she realized she probably should’ve signed it.

before she got the chance to, percy whispered, “you’re so pretty.” annabeth blushed, her hands instinctively coming up to cover her face. she moved them to hold her cheeks and looked at him with a small smile. the arm across her shoulders shifted until percy was twirling one of her curls between his fingers. 

annabeth’s heart did a flip as she took in percy’s expression. he was looking at her like she hung the moon and annabeth was struck with the sudden realization of just how much she liked him. she had only just begun to get to know him but she never wanted to stop. she wanted to learn everything about him and tell him everything about her. annabeth realized she really _really_ wanted this to continue and hopefully grow into something serious. 

annabeth blinked and averted her eyes when she realized she had been staring for a little too long. thankfully, her blush was covered by her hands still on her face. she leaned into percy and turned her attention back to the movie. once she dropped her hands, annabeth reached over and grabbed percy’s from where it was resting on his thigh. she played with his fingers and tapped his palm to the beat of the music playing on the screen.

after a while, she resorted to just holding it as they kept watching the movie. percy would occasionally twist a lock of her hair around his finger but aside from that, they stayed relatively still for the remainder of the movie. once it was over, annabeth looked up at him. _one of my favorite movies ever,_ she signed. percy smiled at her.

he took his off her shoulders and annabeth immediately missed the weight of it. _it was good,_ he replied. annabeth smiled brightly at him. she looked at him a moment before checking her phone. it was nearing 9:30.

annabeth nearly pouted. _i should go soon,_ she signed. _i have class at eight tomorrow._

percy chuckled. _who takes an eight am class?_

annabeth laughed and pushed his shoulder lightly. _me,_ she replied. percy smiled at her and then stood up and held his hands out for her. this time, annabeth did pout, which made percy chuckle again, but she grabbed his hands and stood up. for a brief second, her body was millimeters away from being pressed up against his completely, but he quickly took a small step back. 

he kept her hand in his as he slowly led her towards the door. once they reached it, percy let go of her hand so she could slip her shoes on. when she stood upright, her back facing the door and annabeth looked at him with a smile.

 _i had a lot of fun,_ she signed. she blushed a little but it was worth it when percy beamed at her. 

_me too,_ he replied. before annabeth could lose her nerve, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close. she heard his breath catch and he hugged her back, his arms winding tightly around her waist. they held the embrace for a few seconds before annabeth reluctantly stepped back. honestly, she didn’t want to. his arms were strong and warm and she could hear his heart beating quickly inside his chest. surely, hers was beating just as fast, if not faster.

she twisted her fingers together nervously before breaking them apart to sign, _i’ll see you soon?_

percy smiled softly. _of course._ he stepped forward, likely to get the door. with a final wave of courage, annabeth stopped him. he looked at her, his eyebrows scrunched together. annabeth opened her mouth only to close it again quickly. his green eyes looked a little darker than usual in the dimmer lighting and she found it ridiculously attractive. he was so close to her since he had stepped forward and annabeth could smell his cologne. it was dizzying. she forced herself to remember the phrase she had memorized earlier.

annabeth bit her lip. _can i kiss you?_ she signed. she didn’t even have time to feel anxious about his response because percy’s face immediately broke out in a smile. he nodded and stepped even closer. annabeth’s arms wound around his neck while his went around her waist. standing up on her toes, annabeth pressed her lips to his. 

god, and she thought she’d never want to stop hugging him? kissing him was something completely different and it was so incredible, she couldn’t even put it into words. she could feel the strength and warmth from his embrace that she had just experienced moments ago, but now it was amplified tenfold. his lips were soft and moved against hers so gently. it felt so natural, someone could’ve thought they’d been kissing for years.

when she had asked to kiss him, annabeth had honestly expected a sweet, chaste kiss that lasted no longer than their previous hug. she definitely hadn’t been expecting to kiss him breathless. then again, maybe she hadn’t expected kissing him to feel so nice. either way, she wasn’t complaining. unfortunately, annabeth needed to breathe at some point. she pulled back reluctantly but stayed in his embrace. annabeth wondered which one of their hearts she could feel pounding. percy bit his lip and smiled at her. annabeth felt breathless all over again. 

when she had first seen him, it was in the bright, sunlight filled cafe she worked at. she had thought he was so beautiful. and he was. up until now, she had thought it was impossible for him to get any more attractive. but standing in his somewhat dim hallway in front of his door, less than two inches away from his face, annabeth realized that she was wrong. right now, he was even more beautiful than she had originally thought. because as far as she knew, she was the only one who got to see him this way and that made it all the better. it made him all the more beautiful.


End file.
